Extrology

Playing small does not serve the world, and by no means does Paula Reid ever play small.

She ventures where most seldom dare, cycling across the entirety of 16 countries, and most recently adding a war-stricken Ukraine to that list in an adventure which exposed the remarkable, resilient nature of its people.

What kind of mindset takes the nub of an idea and turns it into such a bold pursuit? Paula returns to Extrology this week for us to learn more…

Lee and Paula discuss:

• Paula’s love of adventure
• Regaining a sense of childlike wonder
• How much of our lives we should spend in the comfort zone
• The genesis of Paula’s cross-Ukraine cycle, and logistical challenges
• Handling the emotional weight of the stories that came from Paula’s encounters

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

Fundraise with Paula:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/paula-reid-siobhanstrust

We don’t make relationships through ‘funnels’, but rather bonds are formed through considerate discussion - the power of a conversation is near-enough unparalleled.

Interview Valet began based on the tenet that we’re just one conversation away from creating limitless opportunities, and its Founder & CEO is the greatest advocate for better marketing through conversation - Tom Schwab.

Join us for a dive into the kiss of death in modern marketing, the art of the awkward conversation, and why the future is in rich audio.

Lee and Tom discuss:

• Why digital marketing might actually be hurting businesses
• The value of connections, and breaking out of obscurity
• Tools as amplifiers of brilliance and stupidity alike
• The two-way nature of magnetic marketing
• What makes podcasting such a lucrative marketing tool

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

Since November 2020, when we last caught up with Sue Anstiss MBE, she’s become Director and Producer of a hugely powerful Netflix documentary, and that’s just scratching the surface…

Much has changed in 3 years for Fearless Women’s Founder - to have Sue return to the Extrology podcast is both an ultimate privilege, and a chance to observe the bountiful progress that women’s sport has enjoyed, and what’s yet to come.

Lee and Sue discuss:

• The inception of what became Sue’s stellar Netflix documentary - Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport
• Significant shifts in media coverage for women’s events
• Unexpected production challenges that faced the making of the documentary
• Whether we need an approach of advocacy, activism or anarchy
• Immediate steps that governing bodies can take to achieve true equality and equity

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

We sometimes need to come close to death, to realise how much life we’ve yet to live.

Jenn Drummond had once quit on herself - now she stands proud, having scaled the 2nd highest peaks on all 7 continents, arguably the most challenging climbs on the planet.

So how do you take a near-death experience and channel it into a new lease on life? Jenn’s story is an unparalleled inspiration, and she shares it all in this week’s Extrology.

Lee and Jenn discuss:

• How Jenn had come to quit on herself
• The car wreck that became Jenn’s catalyst for change
• Why the Seven Second Summits are such a challenging feat
• Practising the pause and seeking your summit

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

For challenger brands, a PR strategy that takes a small budget a long way could be the difference between a flash in the pan, and an underdog story to admire.

Bringing her passion for sharing others’ stories with creativity and emotive messaging, CommsCo’s Founder Ilona Hitel is this week’s guest on the Extrology podcast.

We share how tech innovations are shifting the PR landscape, uncover her remarkable family roots, and touch on the perfect time to differentiate yourself.

Lee and Ilona discuss:

• Growing up with her father’s close experience with conflict
• Being atop the Berlin Wall when it came down
• How to differentiate in recessions and crises
• The challenge of evidencing creativity
• ChatGPT’s impact on the PR industry

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

From writing for The Economist to guiding CEOs through the learnings of other leaders, Tim Jackson's business impact is immense.

With shrewd economic insight and 4 books worth of entrepreneurial analysis, we speak to Tim about his role at Walking Ventures, his prolific journey to date, and the unseen futures into which our technological advances might take us.

Lee and Tim discuss:

• How his journalism background altered his entrepreneurial approach
• Knowing the perimeter of your circle of competence
• Tim's 5 top qualities of an investable CEO
• Staying ahead of disruptors in the tech industry
• The true role of a CEO coach

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

The city as we know it cannot stay the same forever, and how we change it comes down to the remarkable data for which VivaCity is responsible.

Replacing the inefficient observer-with-clipboard methods of data gathering with computer vision AI is just the first step in revolutionising cities, and Mark Nicholson is the Co-Founding CEO at the forefront.

Mark joins us on Extrology to discuss the evolution of cities, a new age of data analysis, and why hardware rather than software will play host to the most exciting innovations.

Lee and Mark discuss:

• Parallels between tennis coaching and business ownership
• Mark’s balance of technical and creative endeavours
• How we’ve been poorly served in data analysis, and how modern methods have iterated
• The challenging mission of shifting transport demand within cities
• New, localised challenges with a launch in the US and a European presence

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

While evolution pushes us forwards, we’re holding our youngest generations back from their physical potential.

Shockingly, most kids spend less time outside than prison inmates, and Darryl Edwards is the Movement Coach, Author & Founder of Primal Play looking to reignite the joy in movement.

He joins us for an episode of Extrology which details a journey to which most will relate, the greatest eye-opening epiphanies around exercise, and how to tap into the power of our primal instincts.

Lee and Darryl discuss:

• Darryl’s former career in investment banking technology, and how it motivated a change in lifestyle
• Development of The Primal Play Method
• How physical movement links to wellbeing in a multifaceted way
• Shocking statistics about the activity of kids today
• How we make societal change

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

Behind the future of every single workplace is a near-unfathomable world of data science, a world which Helge Bjorland is tackling head-on.

Mishiring staff is one of the most costly mistakes a business can make, which is why Helge’s business, Globus.ai, is leveraging artificial intelligence to make smarter decisions, quicker.

This episode of Extrology is awash with eye-opening perspectives on the future of work, machine learning, recruiters’ top challenges, and the power of data.

Lee and Helge discuss:

• The unforgiving nature of early technology
• How to interest top management teams in data science
• AI’s progression since the period shortly before Globus’ inception
• The long-term impacts of AI in the recruitment sector
• Machine learning, and the dangers of bias in data
• Advancements in tech within creative and health sectors

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/

The life of a standup comedian couldn’t be fraught with more pressure, being tasked with single-handedly eliciting emotional responses from hundreds, if not thousands… is marketing so different?

Dell, Microsoft and Fujitsu have had the pleasure of Russ Powell’s company and marketing expertise, as do we on this week’s episode of Extrology, as Russ shares the invaluable and unique lessons that his standup career taught him as Founder of Sharper B2B Marketing.

Lee and Russ discuss:

• Russ’ formative years in Brighton
• Unexpectedly discovering his talent as a comedian
• How comedy has influenced Russ’ approach to marketing and comms
• The central tenets behind Sharper B2B Marketing
• Making the distinction between being happy and being comfortable

Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/